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Success is in the work

So many people equate success to money. Others equate success to being busy all the time. I know this because at one point in my life, I was one of those people. As I became wiser, I realized that success had more to do with impact and fulfillment and less to do with financial reward. I know many people who are making “a bag” (a lot of money) and they do not enjoy what they do.I also know people who have lots of money and they feel like failures.

When I entered the path to self awareness, I discovered that choosing happiness is the path to success. I realized that the first step was choosing to do what I love and what makes me happy. Success is in the result not the reward. When you become great at what you do, then the reward becomes greater.

Many of us look at people like Beyoncé, Oprah, JayZ, Serena Williams and others and we measure our success based on theirs. We never new them when they were at the beginning of their careers. When they were all building that foundation and being told “No” over and over, we did not know them. However, because they continued to toil and work at their dreams after loosing a tennis match or when they were mistreated by a record label or a TV network, that is the reason we know who they are today. They never gave up. Why would you compare yourself to someone else who was willing to fail but persevered until they succeeded?Do not measure a man’s success by his net worth. Measure his success by what he did to get there. The fact that he refused to give up, or take no for an answer and he kept on working at his dream is what define his success.

I have discovered that success is something you work at. It is never instant. For it to be lasting, it has several phases. The foundation stage is the most important. That is when you are building resistance so that you can withstand the storm and the pain. During this stage you are learning and honing your craft. Stage two is when you think you are ready and the Lord says, “You are not”, because he needs to see how hard you are willing to work for it. He also sees the people around you who cannot make the climb with you. In this stage you will encounter your greatest disappointments and betrayals. This is when you begin to feel like the dream is not possible as you experience your greatest failures and setbacks.

If you really love what you do, and work on your passion without giving up, then you arrive at stage three. This is the breakthrough phase. It could take a long time to get here. It can take as long as 10 years, sometimes more. The bigger the dream the longer it takes to achieve it. The key to achieving the success is never quitting. Understand that every phase is necessary. As you work through this phase and you continue to do what you are doing well. Your only focus is to improve what you are doing. Do not focus on the failure. It is actually a part of the phase. When you keep doing it until you become great at it, then the reward comes.

Success is in the work, not the reward or the fame. There are many famous people who are not successful. Similarly, there are many successful people who are not famous. Focus on being known for good work, then everyone will come knocking on your door. I remember hearing about DJ Khaled about 8 years ago before the world discovered the music mogul (He was very well known in Miami at the time). A Cuban acquaintance of mine from Miami mentioned him to me as someone who was going to be great, not because of his money but because of his work.

So many people want to be rich and successful but they don’t want to put the work in. If only these celebrities had the cameras on when they were trying to make it, then I probably would not be writing this article. Unfortunately, the camera only comes on after you have done the work. Success starts from scratch. If you are willing to pay attention to detail and never give up, you will get there.

Are you working on a dream, or are you trying to pass exams and get through school so you can get a job? To achieve success you have to do both, dreaming and training. Going to school alone is not enough. The people who become successful are the ones who were brave and determined enough to work on their dreams.